The Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC) is a dedicated preclinical research center that provides a number of preclinical imaging endpoints:

Imaging microglia activation in-vivo is becoming increasingly important for better understanding of how to alter neurodegeneration in neurodegenerative disorders, especially with advancement of novel disease-modifying treatments that specifically target microglia and monocyte/macrophages. BNAC is offering a number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) techniques which can detect specifically microglia and monocyte/macrophage activity in preclinical models of demyelination and neurodegeneration.

PREPROCESSING

  • Transfer and storage of scans 
  • Preprocessing per scan, including: 
    • Reconstruction
    • Image sorting
    • Inhomogeneity correction
    • Noise reduction
    • Conversion of image formats
    • Coregistration

 

LESION MEASURES

  • Calculation of lesion activity 
  • Calculation of number and volume of gadolinium (GD) enhancing lesions
  • Calculation of number and volume of ultra small particle iron oxide (USPIO) enhancing lesions
  • Calculation of number and volume of T2 lesions
  • Calculation of lesion morphology
  • Calculation of lesion spatial distribution 
  • Calculation of voxel-wise based dynamic lesion changes
  • Vascular and anatomical territorial analysis

 

ATROPHY MEASURES

  • Calculation of cross-sectional and longitudinal brain atrophy, gray and white matter, cortical atrophy
  • Calculation of regional parenchyma brain atrophy 
  • Calculation of regional linear atrophy measures (lateral ventricular volume and callosal atrophy)

 

MAGNETIZATION TRANSFER MEASURES

  • Calculation of magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) in different tissue compartments

 

DIFFUSION IMAGING MEASURES

  • Calculation of mean diffusivity
  • Calculation of entropy
  • Calculation of fractional anisotrophy
  • Calculation of axial and radial diffusivity
  • Calculation of tractography measures

 

PERFUSION IMAGING MEASURES

  • Calculation of mean transit time
  • Calculation of cerebral blood flow
  • Calculation of cerebral blood volume

 

SPECTROSCOPY IMAGING MEASURES

  • Calculation of N-acetyl aspartate
  • Calculation of GABA and glutamate
  • Calculation of stem cell peak
  • Calculation of choline
  • Calculation of creatine
  • Calculation of other lipid peaks

 

fMRI MEASURES

  • Calculation of activated voxels 
    • Individual analyses 
    • Group analyses 
    • Small Volume Correction
  • Overlap maps 

 

QUANTITATIVE SUSCEPTIBILITY IMAGING MEASURES

  • MRI Iron measure analysis
  • Cerebral microbleeds

 

CEREBROSPINAL FLUID IMAGING MEASURES

  • Net Flow
  • Retrograde flow
  • Antegrade flow
  • Peak retrograde velocity
  • Peak antegrade velocity
  • Aqueduct axis length

 

SPINAL CORD MEASURES

  • Calculation of number and volume of T2, T1, and enhancing lesions
  • Calculation of spinal cord atrophy

 

OPTIC NERVE MEASURES

  • Calculation of number and volume of T2, T1, and enhancing lesions

 

PET MEASURES

  • Standard uptake value ratio (SUVR)

 

OTHER SERVICES

  • PET-MRI combined analysis
  • Development of MRI software programs, web-based programs, and slide animations